Quote:
Originally posted by Stripes1950
This could be just be a local issue but maybe some of you around the country can help me. I tend to call a true strike zone in HS ball. I will not give the P a strike 3 inches off the plate. Some of my partners do. They seem to think it speeds the game up. I don't think that it is fair to the batter. I also call a strike at the batter's midsection (letters?) which coaches seem to think is high. Do I have to adjust? Could use some imput. By the way, I have been umpiring HS for about 20 years and the complaining has just started this year.
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The plate is 17 inches or some thing like that. The ball is 2 1/2 inches wide. Therefore the strike zone is 22 inches wide. Any part of the ball touching the plate is a strike. I tend to go another inch outside. (the batter can still easily hit the ball.) I agree that the letters is where the high strike should be. The key to calling a good game is to be consistent especially up and down. From the dugout or the third base coaches box the Coach can only see up and down and not the slightly inside or outside pitch. When strikes are called and the ball is put into play is when you have the best played games.
What's the best compliment a Coach can give? Batter to Coach after taking a called third strike. That pitch was ........ (fill in the blank). Quit complaning he's been calling that a strike the whole game.